If city council elects to close Eastglen and Scona pools, and both the Oliver outdoor pool and single-sheet arena, officials believe it could save $1.4 million.

The possible savings were identified during a review of all Edmonton-owned recreation facilities, which was conducted as part of a sweeping program and service review of everything the city does.

“The facilities that are identified in the program and service review, they performed quite differently than other facilities,” said Stephanie McCabe, city branch manager for corporate strategic development

Performance was measured by how much the city has to subsidize the pools, as well as the annual attendance averages between 2012 and 2016.

The average yearly attendance across the city’s several outdoor pools was 25,000. Oliver pool’s attendance was 10,000. Outdoor pools are subsidized at about $12 per user, while Oliver’s subsidization rate is $21.

Eastglen’s average annual attendance is about 51,000, as compared to a citywide leisure centre average of about 175,000. The user subsidy for Eastglen is $19 compared to the city average of $9.

Scona pool, which is operated by a private company, didn’t have comparative user subsidy data available, had an annual attendance average of 39,336.

“We fully appreciate the value of these services in the neighbourhoods, and how much people appreciate it, but there is a cost to them, and we have to look at those costs, and put that information in front of council to be fair,” said Roger Jevne, branch manager of community and recreation facilities.

Asked if proximity to other recreation options was considered during the facility review, Jevne said that the recommendations stem from a performance and financial point of view. He said that questions about total amenities and quality of life in core neighbourhoods will be addressed in the implementation phase.

The effect of closures on communities was discussed during the “challenge panel” part of the review, when city administration meets with representatives from other, “peer” cities, as well as local business and community leaders, McCabe said.

But the panel’s discussion is confidential, and a final report on the review won’t be made publicly available until after council gives its direction, McCabe said.

For community groups that, in some cases, have spent years advocating to keep the pools open and have engaged with the city on updates and renewals, the possibility that the pools could close was a shock.

Joe Hewko, with the Eastglen Engagement Committee, said they were “blindsided” by the news, and that the last two weeks have been spent in a flurry of community organizing to ensure council gets a clear picture about the range of programs and level of use the community gets out of its pool.

“Numbers aren’t the only thing to be looked at,” Hewko said Wednesday.

Scona’s pool has been facing threats of permanent closure for a decade, and the community thought it was safe after the last big fight, said Julie Kusiek, president of the Queen Alexandra Community League.

“We’ve seen this before. The community has clearly demonstrated a demand and a desire for this facility,” she said.

She said the community knows the pool needs to be replaced, but said that it should be kept open in the interim given the influx of density in the area

Oliver Community League President Lisa Brown said they’ve known for a long time the arena was facing closure, but said the pool being potentially closed for cost-cutting was news. She said the city rebuffed the community’s request increase its operating hours and season, which are shorter than other outdoor pools.

“I understand what the city is trying to achieve with the program and service review, but closing facilities in mature neighbourhoods that we’re trying to densify doesn’t seem like a logical solution to our budget crisis,” said Brown.

All three communities that would be affected by the pool closures plan to attend a public hearing Thursday to give city council feedback on the proposed 2019-2022 city budgets for operations and capital projects.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.